9 Well-Paying Part-Time Jobs for Students in Canada

Canada allows you to work part-time for 20 hours per week while studying and further allows you to work full-time during school breaks. While most student jobs only pay minimum wage, these 9 well-paying part-time jobs for students offer above that. Some of them can be unconventional too, which makes for a great experience. Check them out and see which one suits you best.

Translator

English may not be your primary language and that can be a good thing. Canada is probably the brand ambassador for ethnical diversity today, and if you know more than one language, then there may be a need for your services as a translator. While a certification is not required, it’s definitely an asset. The salary for a translator runs between $14-$55 per hour. Work is usually done remotely and can be flexible in terms of working hours.

Writer

Your writing skills may just be your ticket to a great part-time job. And all you need is a laptop! There are many projects, mostly online, for all kinds of writers – creative writers, technical writers, review writers, bloggers, and more. If the pay for this kind of job is not much in your home country, well, you’re in Canada now. The average pay is $18 per hour.

Tutor

Remember how some define an expert as anyone who simply knows more about something than you do? Well, that applies to tutors too! If you excelled at a subject in school, mastered a craft, or have high proficiency in any other endeavour, you can tutor just about anyone. Think students needing help with Maths, young kids looking for piano lessons, or even immigrants who wish to improve their English. Average pay for tutors is $15-$20 per hour, and provides you with flexibility in scheduling your work hours.

Server / Wait Staff

If you’re thinking, “Waiting tables is exhausting!,” our only reply to that is, “Think about the huge tips!” Tipping at a percentage of the bill is part of Canada’s culture and in major cities, this starts at 15%. Servers usually make between $12-$20 per hour, while tips can go as high as three times that amount. Another big bonus are the free meals most restaurants provide for their employees.

Bartender

If you know your way around alcoholic drinks, then you can work as a part-time bartender at night. Similar to being a part-time server or wait staff, you would get base pay plus plenty of tips mixing drinks. Just make sure your bartending skills are up to par. There are short-course trainings you can attend if you need to brush up on your skills. And if you lack experience, don’t worry. Offer to do a demo of your bartending flair to your prospective employer instead.

Barista

If you don’t want to work at night and like the smell of coffee, then this might be the part-time job for you. Working in a coffee shop is like the daytime version of a bartender, with the salary still starting at minimum wage plus tips. This job is also quite popular among students because it has a work schedule that’s quite flexible and gives you time to study your lessons.

Retail

Do you like interacting with people and helping them out? Do you have good communication skills? Then you can work in retail! You will be responsible for sales activities, such as greeting customers, answering questions, offering assistance, suggesting items, lending opinions and providing product information. Salary starts at minimum wage. The bonus? You get to enjoy discounted rates, plus dibs on sales items!

Babysitter

If you love kids and know how to take care of them, then you can work as a babysitter. Work hours can be quite flexible. And if you’re experienced or if you come with glowing recommendations, you can definitely ask for a higher hourly rate. If you have some certificates to support your qualifications, so much the better. Note that some employers may require a security check.

Rideshare Driver

It’s not easy to get a fancy car as a student, but you only need a reliable car, a smartphone, and of course, a driver’s license. Companies like Uber may require a background check as well. You can also choose to rent a car on a per-use basis from some private car owners who rent out their cars on certain days to rideshare drivers. On average, a rideshare driver earns between $15-$30 per hour. Add in the flexible working hours and good practice of your conversational English skills, and you’ve got yourself one sweet ride of a job.

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These 9 part-time jobs for students that you can do in Canada offer good opportunities to earn a healthy part-time income. However, if income is not your priority and you are instead looking for work experience to boost your resume, feel free to enter your preferred labour market. It may be a challenge to get hired since you cannot work full-time, but there should still be some opportunities out there.

And if there’s none at the moment but you really want the experience, try volunteering. The rewards may not be financial but they translate to a stronger resume, better experience, and building your network.

Whichever way you choose to go, you are still getting exposure, exposure, exposure. And that’s a great experience on its own. So good luck on your search for part-time jobs for students. And if you perform well, you just might have a full-time job waiting for you once you graduate!

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